Boox's $99 Picco brings an established maker into Xteink's pocket e-reader niche
Boox opened pre-orders for the Picco, a 3.97-inch, 58-gram e-reader from $99 that is smaller than any Xteink model. It brings an established maker into a pocket category built on viral attention, with no reported figures yet on whether owners keep using these readers.
The Product Desk
What happened
- Gizmodo called the launch an almost direct response to Xteink, whose 3, 4 and 4 Pro models went somewhat viral over the past year for their size.
- Until now Boox's smallest reader was the Palma, whose 6.13-inch screen makes it about the size of a smartphone.
- The Picco has a 235 PPI monochrome ePaper screen, a warm and cool front light, physical page-turn buttons and a touchscreen.
- It comes with a magnetic ring case, similar to the one Xteink packages with its readers, so it can be snapped to the back of a phone.
Why it matters
- What it limits constraint Without Android or the Play Store, readers whose books sit inside a store's app cannot bring that library over, so the Picco suits people who already manage their own ePUB files.
- Who has to decide decision Buyers now weigh Xteink's lower base price against a Picco that Gizmodo judges better built, at a price still far below Boox's other readers.
- Who's exposed exposure Pre-order money is going to hardware whose only reported hands-on, at IFA 2026, was a pre-production unit that 9to5Google said needed various refinements.
- What doesn't add up contradiction Gizmodo and 9to5Google say orders ship in October while Engadget says November and lists a 3.94-inch screen, so pre-order buyers have no settled delivery month.
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9to5Google says the appeal of these tiny readers is "a second screen without the doomscrolling and eye strain," and counts the magnetic phone mount among the most demanded features for the ones already on sale [17]. The use is simple: turn the phone over and read on its back. The Picco itself is not magnetic, so the mount depends on the case, and 9to5Google notes that the case still adds a little bulk to the phone [6].
Boox is pitching something larger than a reader. The Picco opens a line called Tiles, products Boox says are "designed to bring ePaper technology into more aspects of everyday life," according to Engadget [12]. Gizmodo reported that the company gave no details about what the line entails [10].
What an owner does first is smaller: get books onto the device. The included microSD card is 16GB, and the slot takes cards up to 2TB [8]. Files go on through that card or through a companion app [14]. For someone with a folder of ePUB files, time-to-value is short. For everyone else it depends on whether their books exist as files at all.
The price puts the Picco well below the rest of Boox's range. It starts at $99 on Boox's site, and 9to5Google saw a $109 listing for buyers ordering from the US warehouse [3]. The Palma 2 is $249 and the color Palma 2 Pro is $399 [9]. That puts the Picco $150 under Boox's phone-sized reader [16], with a screen diagonal about 65 percent of the Palma's [21].
The rivalry with Xteink is Gizmodo's reading. "Somewhat viral" is Gizmodo's phrase for the Xteink 3, 4 and 4 Pro [13], and going viral tells you how many people saw a product. None of the three reports gives Xteink sales figures or any sign of how long owners keep using these readers. The reports also show only one established maker entering so far. Gizmodo raises Amazon and Kobo only as a question [26].
A buyer, or a shop deciding whether to stock the Picco, can sort the decision on two axes. The first is where the books live: as files the owner controls, or inside a store's app. The second is where the reader rides: on the back of the phone, or loose in a pocket. Files plus phone mount is the buyer Boox built this for. Files plus pocket works, though that owner pays for a case that sits in a drawer. Store-app libraries fall outside the Picco in either row [14].
What to watch
- First reviews of shipping units, including the thickness Boox left out of its press release and whether the pre-production refinements landed.
- Whether Boox names a second Tiles product and what form it takes.
- Whether Amazon or Kobo, which Gizmodo raised as possible followers, release a pocket-size reader.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence55
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap+30
- Incentives
- Not scored
- Confidence60
Perspective Coverage
4 publishers- Builder
- Builder 19%
- Operator
- Operator 59%
- Investor
- Investor 22%
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
The Boox Picco is available for pre-order beginning Sept. 28.
- [2]
The Picco has a 3.97-inch screen, making it the smallest e-reader in the Boox lineup by far.
- [3]
The Picco starts at $99, but Boox's website lists it at $109 for those purchasing from the US warehouse.
- [4]
The Picco comes with a magnetic ring case, similar to the one packaged with Xteink's e-readers, which lets it snap to the back of a phone.
- [5]
The Picco weighs 58g.
- [6]
The Picco is not magnetic by itself; its included case makes magnetic attachment possible, and it will still add a little bulk to a phone.
- [7]
The Picco has a 235 PPI monochrome ePaper display, a warm/cool backlight, physical page-turn buttons and a touchscreen.
- [8]
The Picco includes a 16GB microSD card and can be expanded to up to 2TB.
- [9]
The Palma 2 is $249; the Palma 2 Pro, which has a color E Ink screen, is $399.
- [10]
Boox says the Picco is the first product in a new 'Tile' line but did not provide details about what that entails.
- [11]
Engadget lists the Picco's display at 3.94 inches.
- [12]
Boox Tiles products will be more unusual or creative form factors beyond the typical tablet or e-reader, 'designed to bring ePaper technology into more aspects of everyday life.'
- [13]
Gizmodo called the Picco announcement 'an almost direct response to the success of Xteink's line of pocketable e-readers'; the Xteink 3, Xteink 4 and Xteink 4 Pro 'have gone somewhat viral in the last year or so, specifically for their size.'
- [14]
The Picco does not run Android, so third-party apps from the Google Play Store are not available; users can transfer files with a companion app or move ePUB files manually via the SD card slot.
- [15]
Boox's current small-form e-reader, the Palma, has a 6.13-inch screen and is about the size of a smartphone.
- [16]
The Picco's $99 starting price is $150 below the $249 Palma 2.
- [17]
9to5Google wrote that magnetic attachment is 'one of the most demanded features for the tiny e-readers that have already been released, because it adds a second screen without the doomscrolling and eye strain.'
- [18]
Gizmodo judged the Picco more premium-feeling than the Xteink, which prioritizes a low price point over build quality; the Picco costs more than the base Xteink but far less than Boox's other e-readers.
- [19]
9to5Google got a preview of the Picco at IFA 2026; the unit was still pre-production and in need of various refinements.
- [20]
Boox does not list the Picco's thickness in its press release.
- [21]
The Picco's screen diagonal is about 65 percent of the Palma's.
- [22]
Picco orders ship in October.
- [23]
The Picco is expected to ship around October for those who pre-order.
- [24]
The Picco is expected to begin shipping in November.
- [25]
The Picco will be smaller than Xteink's smallest e-reader.
- [26]
Gizmodo asked whether Amazon or Kobo could be next to release such a device.
Sources
4 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- 9to5google.comThe ultra-pocketable ‘Picco’ e-reader from Boox is now up for pre-order, $99
1 article · September 28, 2026
- engadget.comYou can now preorder the tiny Boox Picco ereader
1 article · September 28, 2026
- gizmodo.comBoox’s New Tiny E-Reader Could Shake Up the Market
1 article · September 28, 2026
- wired.comBoox Announces the Picco, Its Smallest E-Reader Ever (2026)
1 article · September 28, 2026